14 DAY TRIAL // Delta Air Lines is informing staff that it’s going to be replacing Microsoft’s devices, including here Windows phones and Surface tablets, with Apple products because of an obvious reason.
In a private email that reached the web this week, Delta says the transition will begin in early 2018 when all its 23,000 flight attendants and 14,000 pilots will have to give up on their Windows phones and Surface tablets, but instead be provided with Apple iPhones and iPad Pros.
As for the iPhone models they’re going to choose, Delta won’t pick the new iPhone 8, but the iPhone 7 Plus, which will replace the already outdated Lumia 1520 that were purchased in 2014.
“The new iOS device will continue to feature the Guest Service Tool which allows flight attendants to provide more personalized service and recognize high-value customers on each flight. Flight attendants can also provide customers with the status of down-line flights and connecting gate information. The device also brings Delta in line with its Joint Venture partners at Aeromexico, Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic,” Delta explained in the email (which you can read in full below).
The Windows 10 Mobile demise
As for the Surface, Delta says the iPad Pro will become the electronic flight bag and will continue to feature the entire suite of tools for pilots, like the Jeppesen Flight Deck Pro for flight planning, the latest version of Delta’s turbulence app — Flight Weather Viewer Plus, and a content library containing detailed aircraft and procedural manuals.
Microsoft has recently announced that Windows 10 Mobile is only in maintenance mode, with no new features and hardware on the radar, choosing instead to focus on enterprise.
Unfortunately for the software giant though, the lack of a mobile platform seems to be leading to major losses, especially among partners that are fully committed to one ecosystem, as it’s the case of Delta.
The airline wants to use smartphones and tablets from the same company and running the same operating system for consistency and sync, so without a mobile platform, Microsoft cannot be considered a potential solution right now.